Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

mentioning. Those who had conquered them were ananimal folk of their own kind, who were called gray rats.

  These gray rats had not lived in the land since time immemorial, likethe black rats, but descended from a couple of poor immigrants wholanded in Malmoe from a Libyan sloop about a hundred years ago. They werehomeless, starved-out wretches who stuck close to the harbour, swamamong the piles under the bridges, and ate refuse that was thrown in thewater. They never ventured into the city, which was owned by the blackrats.

  But gradually, as the gray rats increased in number they grew bolder.At first they moved over to some waste places and condemned old houseswhich the black rats had abandoned. They hunted their food in guttersand dirt heaps, and made the most of all the rubbish that the black ratsdid not deign to take care of. They were hardy, contented and fearless;and within a few years they had become so powerful that they undertookto drive the black rats out of Malmoe. They took from them attics,cellars and storerooms, starved them out or bit them to death for theywere not at all afraid of fighting.

  When Malmoe was captured, they marched forward in small and largecompanies to conquer the whole country. It is almost impossible tocomprehend why the black rats did not muster themselves into a great,united war-expedition to exterminate the gray rats, while these werestill few in numbers. But the black rats were so certain of their powerthat they could not believe it possible for them to lose it. They satstill on their estates, and in the meantime the gray rats took from themfarm after farm, city after city. They were starved out, forced out,rooted out. In Skane they had not been able to maintain themselves in asingle place except Glimminge castle.

  The old castle had such secure walls and such few rat passages ledthrough these, that the black rats had managed to protect themselves,and to prevent the gray rats from crowding in. Night after night, yearafter year, the struggle had continued between the aggressors and thedefenders; but the black rats had kept faithful watch, and had foughtwith the utmost contempt for death, and, thanks to the fine old house,they had always conquered.

  It will have to be acknowledged that as long as the black rats were inpower they were as much shunned by all other living creatures as thegray rats are in our day--and for just cause; they had thrown themselvesupon poor, fettered prisoners, and tortured them; they had ravished thedead; they had stolen the last turnip from the cellars of the poor;bitten off the feet of sleeping geese; robbed eggs and chicks from thehens; and committed a thousand depredations. But since they had come togrief, all this seemed to have been forgotten; and no one could help butmarvel at the last of a race that had held out so long against itsenemies.

  The gray rats that lived in the courtyard at Glimminge and in thevicinity, kept up a continuous warfare and tried to watch out for everypossible chance to capture the castle. One would fancy that they shouldhave allowed the little company of black rats to occupy Glimminge castlein peace, since they themselves had acquired all the rest of thecountry; but you may be sure this thought never occurred to them. Theywere wont to say that it was a point of honour with them to conquer theblack rats at some time or other. But those who were acquainted with thegray rats must have known that it was because the human kind usedGlimminge castle as a grain store-house that the gray ones could notrest before they had taken possession of the place.

  THE STORK

  _Monday, March twenty-eighth_.

  Early one morning the wild geese who stood and slept on the ice in VombLake were awakened by long calls from the air. "Trirop, Trirop!" itsounded, "Trianut, the crane, sends greetings to Akka, the wild goose,and her flock. To-morrow will be the day of the great crane dance onKullaberg."

  Akka raised her head and answered at once: "Greetings and thanks!Greetings and thanks!"

  With that, the cranes flew farther; and the wild geese heard them for along while--where they travelled and called out over every field, andevery wooded hill: "Trianut sends greetings. To-morrow will be the dayof the great crane dance on Kullaberg."

  The wild geese were very happy over this invitation. "You're in luck,"they said to the white goosey-gander, "to be permitted to attend thegreat crane dance on Kullaberg!" "Is it then so remarkable to see cranesdance?" asked the goosey-gander. "It is something that you have nevereven dreamed about!" replied the wild geese.

  "Now we must think out what we shall do with Thumbietot to-morrow--sothat no harm can come to him, while we run over to Kullaberg," saidAkka. "Thumbietot shall not be left alone!" said the goosey-gander. "Ifthe cranes won't let him see their dance, then I'll stay with him."

  "No human being has ever been permitted to attend the Animal's Congress,at Kullaberg," said Akka, "and I shouldn't dare to take Thumbietotalong. But we'll discuss this more at length later in the day. Now wemust first and foremost think about getting something to eat."

  With that Akka gave the signal to adjourn. On this day she also soughther feeding-place a good distance away, on Smirre Fox's account, and shedidn't alight until she came to the swampy meadows a little south ofGlimminge castle.

  All that day the boy sat on the shores of a little pond, and blew onreed-pipes. He was out of sorts because he shouldn't see the cranedance, and he just couldn't say a word, either to the goosey-gander, orto any of the others.

  It was pretty hard that Akka should still doubt him. When a boy hadgiven up being human, just to travel around with a few wild geese, theysurely ought to understand that he had no desire to betray them. Then,too, they ought to understand that when he had renounced so much tofollow them, it was their duty to let him see all the wonders they couldshow him.

  "I'll have to speak my mind right out to them," thought he. But hourafter hour passed, still he hadn't come round to it. It may soundremarkable--but the boy had actually acquired a kind of respect for theold leader-goose. He felt that it was not easy to pit his will againsthers.

  On one side of the swampy meadow, where the wild geese fed, there was abroad stone hedge. Toward evening when the boy finally raised his head,to speak to Akka, his glance happened to rest on this hedge. He uttereda little cry of surprise, and all the wild geese instantly looked up,and stared in the same direction. At first, both the geese and the boythought that all the round, gray stones in the hedge had acquired legs,and were starting on a run; but soon they saw that it was a company ofrats who ran over it. They moved very rapidly, and ran forward, tightlypacked, line upon line, and were so numerous that, for some time, theycovered the entire stone hedge.

  The boy had been afraid of rats, even when he was a big, strong humanbeing. Then what must his feelings be now, when he was so tiny that twoor three of them could overpower him? One shudder after anothertravelled down his spinal column as he stood and stared at them.

  But strangely enough, the wild geese seemed to feel the same aversiontoward the rats that he did. They did not speak to them; and when theywere gone, they shook themselves as if their feathers had beenmud-spattered.

  "Such a lot of gray rats abroad!" said Iksi from Vassipaure. "That's nota good omen."

  The boy intended to take advantage of this opportunity to say to Akkathat he thought she ought to let him go with them to Kullaberg, but hewas prevented anew, for all of a sudden a big bird came down in themidst of the geese.

  One could believe, when one looked at this bird, that he had borrowedbody, neck and head from a little white goose. But in addition to this,he had procured for himself large black wings, long red legs, and athick bill, which was too large for the little head, and weighed it downuntil it gave him a sad and worried look.

  Akka at once straightened out the folds of her wings, and curtsied manytimes as she approached the stork. She wasn't specially surprised to seehim in Skane so early in the spring, because she knew that the malestorks are in the habit of coming in good season to take a look at thenest, and see that it hasn't been damaged during the winter, before thefemale storks go to the trouble of flying over the East sea. But shewondered very much what it might signify that he sought her out, sincestorks prefer to associate wi
th members of their own family.

  "I can hardly believe that there is anything wrong with your house, HerrErmenrich," said Akka.

  It was apparent now that it is true what they say: a stork can seldomopen his bill without complaining. But what made the thing he said soundeven more doleful was that it was difficult for him to speak out. Hestood for a long time and only clattered with his bill; afterward hespoke in a hoarse and feeble voice. He complained about everything: thenest--which was situated at the very top of the roof-tree at Glimmingecastle--had been totally destroyed by winter storms; and no food couldhe get any more in Skane. The people of Skane were appropriating all hispossessions. They dug out his marshes and laid waste his swamps. Heintended to move away from this country, and never return to it again.

  While the stork grumbled, Akka, the wild